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In a day of escalating military engagement, Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets towards Israel’s northern border Monday afternoon, including a single volley of approximately 30 projectiles.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) swiftly responded with airstrikes, targeting Hezbollah’s military facilities across southern Lebanon, including an operation near the coastal city of Tyre.
The Israeli air response, which reportedly killed seven civilians according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, was accompanied by an evacuation order for multiple areas within Tyre, previously unaffected by such orders.
The IDF announced the discovery of a comprehensive underground network in Kafr Kila, a southern Lebanese town. Troops located hidden military infrastructure including storage sites for weapons and observation points constructed inside the town.
The IDF has long identified Kafr Kila as a central Hezbollah base and described the network as proof of Hezbollah’s preparation for cross-border incursions.
Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, toured one of these Hezbollah tunnels, describing it as a “very developed” system, outfitted with amenities such as bathrooms, kitchens, and extensive storage.
Speaking from inside the tunnel, Halevi addressed the UN and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), stating the discovery highlighted Israel’s reasoning for intensified operations along the northern border.
“This infrastructure must not return here in future generations,” he declared, underscoring the IDF’s resolve to dismantle Hezbollah’s presence along Israel’s borders.
Simultaneously, Israel’s military activity expanded to Gaza, where the IDF carried out multiple strikes in areas including central Gaza, Rafah, and Jabalya.
According to the IDF, these operations involved the 252nd Division, which dismantled a substantial Hamas facility and eliminated armed fighters, as well as the 162nd Division, which conducted air and ground attacks, reportedly killing dozens of Hamas operatives.
The IDF emphasized efforts to facilitate civilian evacuations, though asserted that Hamas was actively preventing civilians from relocating away from conflict areas.
Footage released by the IDF Monday showed an ambulance driver from the Kamal Adwan Hospital, captured on charges of aiding terrorism, disclosing Hamas’s use of hospital facilities for military purposes.
The driver’s statements, published by the IDF, claimed that Hamas operatives occupied hospital spaces and used ambulances for military tasks rather than civilian needs, an account the IDF holds as indicative of Hamas’s embedding within civilian structures.
Monday’s escalation reflects the intensifying tension along Israel’s northern and southern borders, as IDF forces continue operations to neutralize threats posed by both Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Amid the ongoing conflict, Lt.-Gen. Halevi also visited wounded IDF soldiers in Beersheba, commending their recovery efforts and the unity among troops and medical staff, which he described as a cornerstone of Israel’s defense framework.